Armed with a Petroleum Geology degree from the University of Oklahoma, in 1954 Squyres left for Tripoli to play an important role in the discovery of Libya’s enormous oil reserves. It was during these years that Squyres began to observe and catalogue some of the first modern records of African Geology. Although his study will never be complete, in 2007 Squyres submitted for print the most comprehensive mapping of African geology to date. Discovery of the giant oil fields in Egypt, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire serve as evidence of the practical side of his knowledge and work.

While only thirty-three years old, Squyres was chosen to head Libyan exploration for Oasis Oil, a joint venture with Amerada Hess, Conoco, and Marathon Oil. Squyres today is still recognized for leading the discovery of over 28 billion barrels of oil which produced an unparalleled, one million barrels of oil per day. In Libya, Squyres served as the liaison with the Libyan government.

Recognizing Squyres penchant for finding oil while managing people, still in his 40’s, Squyres was appointed President of Conoco/Middle East and President of Conoco/Egypt and subsequently relocated to Cairo. During that period, Squyres and his team located a one trillion cubic foot natural gas, 1.2 billion barrel oil reserve.

Because of his ability to effectively work with the heads of governments, Conoco appointed Squyres as their liaison with the Anwar Sadat government just as he had been with the Ghadaffi government in Libya.

Two Egyptian oil companies joined with Conoco to form the Conoco/Ghesium/Khalada joint venture and were led by Squyres in additional exploration until 1986 when appointed by Conoco to serve in Saudi Arabia to negotiate for and develop the 30 billion barrel Saudi West Kerna field. In these years, Squyres became acquainted with the royal families and governments of Qatar, Yemen, and Jordan to promote the Conoco hydrocarbon exploration in these respective states. In 1991, at the outset of Desert Storm, Squyres permanently ended his remarkable relationship with Conoco and partners to reside back in America for the first time in forty years.

With too much energy in him to cease oil exploration, Squyres accepted the invitation to form the first International Oil Exploration Division for United Meridian (later Ocean Energy and now Devon Energy). Acquiring certain concessions, tracking geological leads, and negotiating successful West African government agreements, Squyres led UMC to grow from its 1991 revenues of $200 million to a 1997 level of $2 billion. The discoveries contributing to this phenomenal expansion occurred in West Africa’s Côte d'Ivoire with its recognized Panther Gas Field reserves of 400 billion cubic feet of gas and corresponding Lion Oil Field reserves of 40 million barrels of oil. Equally substantial were the Zafiro Field discovery in Equatorial Guinea which currently produces 290,000 barrels of oil per day out of its 1.3 billion barrels of oil recoverable.

Equatorial Guinea’s President Obiang in 1996, expressing his country’s gratitude, formally knighted Squyres with the Commander of National Order, First Class and during the following year, 1997, Côte d'Ivoire’s President Kopnana Bedie also formally knighted Squyres with that country’s Commander of the Legion of Honor for the role Squyres played in converting an oil-importing country into a petroleum-exporting nation. Squyres continues to serve as an economic advisor to President Obiang.

In a 1998 venture, British Petroleum (BP), Mobil Oil, Arco, and Bechtel Corporation formed a joint subsidiary named Xpronet. Xpronet was intended to establish and explore an international portfolio of projects in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Hungary, Madagascar, and Kuwait. It was Squyres who assembled and directed this company as its CEO/President. Xpronet’s mission was to establish a presence in these various countries where, in the name of the founding companies, they could not go. With the mergers of Mobil to Exxon and Arco with BP, Xpronet, in 2001 ceased its existence.

The perpetual student, Squyres has both edited and written books on the geology of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and Italy.

Born in 1926 in Kansas and married since 1955 in Cairo, he is the father of five grown children. Serving in the US Navy as a flight navigator from 1944 to 1946, Squyres postponed his university studies for the service of his country.

Still healthy, working out at the gym regularly, Squyres has no travel restrictions and in 2002 in Cairo was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.